The Vancouver Canucks have made a pair of roster moves, sending goaltender Nikita Tolopilo and defenseman Elias Pettersson down to the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks. Per NHL rules, both players will need to appear in at least one AHL game before they’re eligible for a recall.
Let’s start with Tolopilo. The 25-year-old netminder has already seen action in five games for Abbotsford this season, posting a 1-3-1 record with a .901 save percentage.
He was recently pressed into NHL duty, starting two games during Vancouver’s latest road trip. But that stint was cut short when he returned home early - for good reason - as his wife went into labor.
Tolopilo’s brief NHL run gave the Canucks a look at his potential at the highest level, but with Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith holding down the crease, this move makes sense. Abbotsford, meanwhile, gets a goalie who’s already familiar with their system and who can step in immediately.
As for Elias Pettersson - the defenseman, not the forward superstar with the same name - this reassignment comes after a stretch of limited ice time. The 21-year-old blueliner has been with the big club all season but has only managed two points across 24 games. More tellingly, he was a healthy scratch in each of Vancouver’s last two outings.
This move gives Pettersson a chance to reset and find his rhythm in a more prominent role in Abbotsford. Over 46 career AHL games, he’s recorded 15 points and 44 penalty minutes. While the offensive numbers don’t jump off the page, he’s shown flashes of the physical, stay-at-home style that the Canucks value in their defensive pipeline.
Abbotsford, though, has had a rough go of it this season. Sitting 31st in the AHL standings with a 4-14-1-2 record, the team is in desperate need of a spark. Their next opportunity comes Wednesday night against the Calgary Wranglers at the newly renamed Rogers Forum, with puck drop set for 7:00 PM PT.
For Tolopilo and Pettersson, this isn’t just a demotion - it’s a chance to get meaningful minutes, sharpen their games, and make a case for a return to the NHL. And for Abbotsford, it’s an opportunity to inject some much-needed NHL-caliber talent into a struggling roster.